Screen-button-cutting apparatus



March 16 1926.

J. H. M EVOY SCREEN BUTTON CUTTING APPARATUS Filed August 4., 1923 3Sheets-Sheet 1 March 16 1926.

1,576,659 J. H. MGEVQY SCREEN BUTTON CUTTING APPARATUS Filed August 4,1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I J. H. M EVOY SCREEN BUTTON CUTTING APPARATUSMar'ch 16 1926.

Filed August 4, 1923 3 Slggets-Sheet 8 Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JO$EPH H. MGEVOY, QF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

SCREEN-BUTTON GUTTING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 4, 1923.

buttons to be used in well screens, and for other similar operations.

In the forming of screens to be used in wells, it is customary toprovide a button or plug, to be fitted in an opening bored to receive itin a well casing or pipe. The button is provided with transverse slotstherein of any desired width to allow the entrance of liquid and toscreen out the sand and sediment therefrom. In the forming of thesebuttons withthe desired slots therein, it is necessary that "a machinebe provided for holding the buttons or plugs and moving them against aseries of rotating saws.

It is an object of my invention to provide an apparatus having aslidable holding device thereon to receive and hold a button or plug,and means to present the button thus held against the cutting portion ofthe saw so that the slots may be cut therein.

It is another object to provide a holder of the type described which maybe raised -or lowered in bringing the button against the saws, and whichmay be also moved horizontally in gripping or releasing the button.

It is another object to provide an apparatus of the type cescribed whichwill be practically self-contained and strong and compact inconstruction.

It is another object of the invention to provide a saw to be employed inconnection with the forming of slots in the screen button, which willsaw a series of slots with one cut, and to so mount the saw that it willbe held rigidly without danger of breaking.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will becomeapparent from the more detailed description which follows:

Referring to the drawing herewith, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of myinvention; Fig. 2 a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a cletail, partlyin central vertical section, of the shaft upon which. the saws aremounted and Serial No. 655,588.

showing the saws in operative position thereon; Fig. 4 is an end view ofsaid shaft with the saws in position; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of aslightly different embodiment of my inventionyFig. 6 is a side elevationthereof, certain parts being broken away for clearness; Fig. 7 is adetail of the shaft upon which the saws are mounted showing the saws invertical section; Fig. 8 is a central longitudinal sect-ion of thebuttonholding device; Fig. 9 is an end view thereof; Fig. 10 is a sideelevation of a guide and plug used with the holding apparatus;

Figs. 11 and 12 are .side and front elevations respectively of the endof the guide showing a slightly different embodiment thereof than isdisclosed in Fig. 10; Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the holdingportion; Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are end elevation and central verticalsections respectively of the type of button employed in the screens andupon which the apparatus is intended to operate. Like numerals ofreference are applied to like parts throughout the different views.

In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I have shown the ordinary form of deviceemployed in the sawingof the slots in the buttons. There is a basemember 1 upon which a standard or support 2 is mounted, there being abase plate adapted to be bolted to the support 1. The standard 2comprises two upright side pieces arched at the top and acting as ahousing for the saws 1 which are adapted to rotate therein, as will belater described. At the rearward side of the said housing is formed anopening 5 of circular form and of a diameter sutlicient to receive thebutton and holder 21 inserted therethrough.

Adjacent the upright 2 is a second supporting member 6 which comprisesan up right plate having a rearwardly projecting bracket 7 thereon whichforms a sliding support for the button-holding device. There isapproximately centrally of the bracket, a longitudinal slot indicated indotted lines at 8, this slot being of sufficient width to receive a.bolt orpin 9 secured at its outer side to a lever arm 10 andprojecting'through said slot, and secured at its 013- posite end to aclamping block 11. The pin 9 asses throu h a slidi'n 'uide member 12which fits within a lateral recess in the side of the bracket 7 towardtheholding means.

1 I v 'lhe brapket as shpwn in Fig. l, is some what thicker toward thecentral portion at Cit 13, to thereby permit the forming of a lateralslideway therein to receive the slide 12. At the upper and lower sidesof said slideway are attached plates 1d and respectively, which arebolted to the bracket, and extend slightly beyond the edge of theslideway so as to overlap the slideway and prevent the removal of theslide 12. An upstanding pin 16 toward the rear of the slide limits theforward movement thereof by contacting with the shoulder 17 at the rearof the slideway in which the slide moves. The forward end of the guide12 is formed with a sen'ii-circular recess 19 therein to fit against theshaft 20 upon which the saws are mounted.

The clamping member 11 comprises an approximately cubical block of metalhaving an enlarged opening therethrough parallel with the bracket 7, ofsuffieient size to receive the holding device 21. Said block is split onits outer side at- 22 and is adapted to be clamped about the holdingmember 21 by means of a cross bolt and nut 23.

Formed on the rearward end of the bracket 7 is a laterally extending arm25 which has an opening formed therein adja cent the outer end toreceive the rearward end 26 of an expanding rod 27. The end 26 of therod is threaded and has thereon at each side of the supporting arm 25,lock nuts 28, adapted to hold the expanding rod rigidly in adjustedposition.

\Vith reference particularly to Fig. 8, the construction of thebutton-holding device will be understood. The expanding arm 27 hasformed at its forward end a cross pin 29, which extends laterallythrough slots 30 in a guide sleeve 31. On the outer face of the guidesleeve 31 is a collar 32, secured on the cross pin 29 and slidable onthe said sleeve. The said sleeve 31 is formed with a central bore 33therein to receive the expanding rod 27, and its forward end is ofreduced diameter and cylindrical in shape to furnish a. slidable supportfor the collar The slot 30 in the supporting guide sleeve 31 extends toa point adjacent the forward end, which is closed by means of a head 34:thereon, against which the button is adapted to rest.

Outside of the guide sleeve 31 is a holder 85. This holder comprises atubularmember, threaded at its rearward end and slotted inwardly for ashort distance, as shown at 86. A nut 37, threaded on the rearward splitend of the holding sleeve is adapted to clamp the same against the innerguide sleeve 31. The holder is cylindrical in general shape, but istapered at 39 toward the forward end, both interiorly and exteriorly,and the said. tapered portion is slit longitudinally at 40 so that theend may be expanded and con tracted to seize and retain the button, andthus hold it in position to be acted upon by the saws. To receive thebutton, the forward end is recessed somewhat at for a distance aboutequal to the thickness of the button. The forward end is also providedwith a vertical notch or groove 42, as shown in Fig. 13, said notchbeing of sufficient width to receive the number of saws which areemployed in cutting the button. This slot is arranged vertically so thatwhen the saw is presented against the button, the slots in the buttonwill be vertical.

The lever arm 10 is made up of two flat straps of metal, which arepivotally attached at their rearward ends to the forward end of a leverarm 44., which is fulcrumed upon a bolt or pin L5, secured in the rearend of the bracket and spaced therefrom by means o'l' a washer 46. Therearward end of the lever arm is provided with a handle 4?, by means ofwhich the clamping block ll and the holder therein may be movedlongitudinally relative to the bracket.

The saws 4 are circular saws, toothed on their outer periphery, and ofthe thickness desired to cut the proper width of slot in the button.These saws may therefore be of varying thickness, depending upon thegauge of the slot to be cut in the particular button operated upon, somebeing comparativcly wide, and others verythin. These saws are mountedupon the shaft '20, and have spacing washers 48, between them, saidwashers being of a diameter only slightly less than that of the sawsthemselves. These washers and the saws between them are clamped togetherby nuts 49 and 50 on ea side thereon, the nut 50 being support on oneside by a shoulder 51 upon the sha t, and the nut 49 is clamped inposition, together with the rest of the saw assembly by means of a nut52 secured upon the threaded end of the shaft 20. The said nut 52 isflattened, as shown at 53, for manipulation.

The shaft 20 is mounted in a central opening in the supporting plate 6,and has a bearing within a longitudinal sleeve cured upon the supportingplate The end of the shaft opposite the one to which the saws areattached, projects beyond the hearing member, and has secured thereon atight pulley, and a loose pulley said phi leys being adapted forconnection by means of a belt, or otherwise, to a source of power, It isunderstood, of course,

that this shaft may be coniurcted directly with the mot-or. or driven byany desirable means, r\-'""houl departing from the spirit of myinvention.

In 2 I have shown upon the upper forward side of the support 2, a pipe 5which is connected with an opening in the said supporter housing, so asto discharge a cooling fluid directly upon the saws -lwhile they areoperatir and thus assist in cooling them. This is understood to be anthe saws.

expedient, not forming a necessary part of my invention. I

In Fig. 16 is shown a type of button which may be held in position foroperation by It has on its rearward face a series of V-shaped grooves58, which are formed therein when the button is stamped. In sawing thebutton it is desired that the slots 60 out by the saws shall perforatethe button at the troughs of each of these grooves, and in order to holdthe button in registered position so that the saws will cut through theend of the button in the manner desired, theforward head 34 of themember 31 may be formed with vertically projecting ridges 59 thereon,adapted to fit in the grooves 58, thereby holding the button in properposition.

In the operation of this device, a button such as is disclosed in Figs.1a or 15 is placed within the forward end of the holding sleeve 21. Toaccomplish this, the lever 4l7 is raised so as to draw the clampingblock 11 and the holder therein rearwardly. This brings the collar 32within the tapered forward seat 60 in the holding sleeve, and therebytends to force the divided end outwardly so as to enlarge the recess 41sufficiently to place the buttontherein. The lever arm is then depressedso as to throw the holding sleeve 21 forwardly away from the expandingcollar 32, thus allowing the holding end 41 to contract slightly andhold the button in rigid position. The further forward movement of theholding sleeve moves the forward end of the button through the opening 5in the housing against the rotating saws 4, which will act to slot thebutton. It will be noted that while the button is being acted upon bythe saws, the

forward holding end of the sleeve 21 will be.

supported within the opening 5 so as'to prevent any tendency of thebutton to vibrate and injure the saws. As it is necessary to make thesaw blades, in many cases, as thin as ordinary paper, it will beapparent that they cannot be allowed to vibrate to any appreciableextentduring operation. When the button is properly slotted by means of thesaws, the lever arm is raised, thus throwing the holding sleeverearwardly. When the button comes in contact with the forward head 34 ofthe member 31 the collar 32 will act to expand the holder slightly, andthe head 31 will knock the button from the holder so that a new buttonmay be placed in position and advanced upon the saws in the mannerpreviously described.

The lug or pin 16 is placed in such position upon the slide 12 as tostop the holder, and the button, when it has been advanced sufficientlyto saw through the cap portion of the button. It will therefore bepossible for the operator to force the lever downwardly until the lug 16contacts with the shoulder 17 and the button will beslotted withoutespecial care upon the part of the operator.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the main portions of theconstruction are similar to the one just described. The housing 2 issimilar to the housing 2 except that the opening 5 therein is extendedlongitudinally in the housing to form a slot allowing vertical movementof the holding member in bringing the button into contact with thesaws4.

To provide for the vertical movement of the holder in this operation,the bracket 7 is formed separately from the supporting member, and isformed with a morticed slot 61 therein to receive an upright dovetailedsupporting member 62 which is mounted in an upright position upon a baseplate 63, attached to the frame of the support. This type of mountingallows the bracket '7 to be raised or lowered relative to thesaw andstill be held against vibration or move ment laterally.

In order to move the bracketwith the holder and lever mounted thereon,as previously described, I have formed upon the lower side of thebracket 7 an attaching lug 64- having an opening therein through which apivot pin 65 is extended, said pin forming an attachment for the end ofa connecting rod 66 attached at its lower end at 67 to a foot lever 68.Said lever 68 is pivoted at one end 69 and has a pedal 70 formed on theother end thereof. A spring 71 attached at its upper end to the baseplate 1 and at its lower end to the arm 68 tends to hold the lever armand the operating mechanism in elevated position.

The operating lever 47 is of slightly different construction than thatdisclosed in the first modification. The forward end of said lever armis secured at 72 non-rotatably to a shaft 73 secured in the rear end ofthe bracket 7. On the opposite end of the shaft 73 is a crank arm 7secured pivotally to a link 75 at the pivotal point 76. The other end ofthe link 75 is connectedto the inner side of the clamping block 11, andthus enables the operator to advance or withdraw the holding sleeve 21,asin the previous modification. I

The saws 4 may be mounted upon the shaft 20 in a slightly differentmanner than is disclosed in Fig. 3.- K at Fig. 7. The shaft 20 has aholding sleeve or bushing 77 thereon, and the saws are fitted on saidsleeve with the spacing washers 4e8'between them, and the saws are heldin position on said sleeve by means of a clamping nut 78. This bushing,with the saws mounted thereon, is fitted upon the shaft 20 and held inposition against the shoulder 51 by clamping nut 52, as in the otherdevice. The advantage of this type of Such a mountin is shown mountingtor the saws is that the saws may be mounted in assembled position,ready to be fitted upon the shaft while still in the shop, without thenecessity of any operation thereon by the operator handling the saws.

In the operation oi'the device disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6, the buttonwill be fitted within the holder, and advanced forwardly into theposition for action upon by the saws. It will be held in this positionwhile the lever 68 is depressed by the pedal 70. This depression of thelever will bring the bracket 7 with the holding device thereondownwardly into the opening 5, and bring the button into contact withthe saw blades as it is moved downwardly across the same. 3y thisoperation the slots cut in the button will be of substantially the samedepth throughout. In the ease of the first modification, it will benoted that the slots will be of greatest depth along the horizontalcentral line, and of slightly less depth at the upper and lower edges.One or the other of these two machines may be en'iployed as is necessary to cut the slots in the button in the desired manner.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that this device can noteasily get out of order, and may be operated with great rapidity by askilled worker. A button may be titted in the end of the holding sleeveand advanced against the saw and the holder withdrawn automatically,discharging the button, so that a second button may be quicklyinser'ted,-and again advanced into cutting position. There are no partswhich can easily get out of order, and as the buttons are held rigidlyagainst vibration during the sawing operation, little danger of breakingthe saws will be experienced. Other objects and advantages will beapparent without further description.

lVhile I have described the device as adapted to operate on screenbuttons, it is obvious that the apparatus will be capable ofmodification to suit it to other similar uses without departing from thespirit of my invention.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

'1. Ina device of the character described, a support, a bracket thereon,a slide on said bracket, a. clampingblock on said slide, means toreciprocate said slide and block, an expanding rod on said bracket, aholding sleeve on said arm, an expanding holder on the forward end ofsaid sleeve, means to support the forward end of said sleeve when it isin advanced position, and saws adapted to operate on the work in saidholder.

2. In a device of the character described, a support, a shaft rotatabletherein, a laterally extendingbracket on said support, a slide on saidbracket, a button holding sleeve on said slide, means to reciprocatesaid slide,

of slots in said button.

a stationary expanding rod on said bracket, and projecting into saidsleeve, a series of rotating saws on said shaft, and means to supportsaid sleeve when it is advanced to bring the button held therein intocontact. with said saws.

3. In a device of the character described, a support, a bracket thereon,a slide on said bracket, means to reciprocate said slide, an arm on saidbracket, an expanding rod iounted on said arm parallel with said slide,a button holding sleeve slidable on said rod and supported on saidslide, and rotatable cutters mounted in the path of movement of saidbutton holding sleeve.

4. In a device of the character described, a support, a bracket thereon,an expanding rod rigidly mounted on said bracket in parallel relationthereto, a holding sleeve on said arm, a sleeve reciprocating leversccured thereto, a tapered holding end on said sleeve dividedlongitudinally, means on said rod to expand said holding end when saidsleeve is moved rearwardly and cutters adapted to operate on the workwhen said sleeve is advanced.

5. In a device of the character described, a support, a bracket thereon,an expanding rod mounted parallel therewith, a holding sleeve mounted onsaid rod and slidably supported on said bracket, means to reciprocatesaid sleeve, means on said rod to expand the forward end of said sleeveto receive the work when said sleeve is moved rearwardly, and cuttersadapted to operate on said work when the sleeve is advanced.

6. In a device of thecharacter described, a support, a bracket thereon,a clamp slidable on said bracket, a button holding sleeve on said clamp,means to expand said sleeve to insert the button, means to advance saidsleeve and button and means to saw a series 7. Ina device of thecharacter described, a support, a button holder slidable relative tosaid support, means to reciprocate said holder, a rotating tool in saidsupport, supported in the path of movement of said holder and astationary means in said holder to discharge said button when saidholder is withdrawn from said tool.

8. In a device of the character described, a support, a bracket thereon,a sleeve slidable onsaid bracket, an expanding buttonholder on theforward end of said sleeve, said holder being norn'ially closed, a.station- 'ary guide rod upon which said sleeve is movable, a collarthereon acting to expanr said holder when said holder is withdrawn, andmeans to advance and withdraw said holder on said guide.

9. In a device of the character described a saw, a support,areciprocable work holder, a stationary expanding rod therein, means toadvance said work holder to said lit) saw, and means on said rod toexpand said panding rod on said bracket adapted to exholder when saidholder is Withdrawn. pand saidosleeve when said sleeve is moved 10. In adevice of the character described rearvvardly. 10 a rotating saw, asupport, a bracket slid- In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix 5 ablevertically thereon, a Work holding my signature, this the 31st day ofJuly, A.

sleeve on said bracket, means to reciprocate D. 1923. said sleeve to andfrom said saw and an ex- JOSEPH H. MoEVOY.

